Do not give structural advice if you are not a structural engineer. |
PROfessional Home Inspection Report Writing, Templates and more..
Delivering Reports (Member Service NEW)
Members can now upload their PDF Inspection Reports as a new FREE benefit.
By providing your client with a link to view and download their report with any device, you are providing a very secure process for report delivery.
The entire process is very user friendly. The reports are stored on the server for 15-days with unlimited downloads. And because the folder is "Forbidden from direct access", no one can access the other uploads, therefore a password is not required to access this report, only the direct link will have access.
Members are suggested to log-in and on the Member Menu, click the "Upload Reports" link and give it a test run. Send it to yourself to see what your clients receive.
How we came up with this membership feature.
Over the last few months I started a new thread titled, "Preferred method of Report Delivery", on LinkedIn and the ASHI Forums and received over 50-replies. The short story is, like everything else they each had variations of on-site or email delivery. And unless you hand the report to the client on-site having a download link rather than the report itself sent to the client is faster and much more secure, and never blocked by the recipient's setting, like "Block all Attachments", or another security setting.
Convert Any Document to a PDF for FREE
The best way to deliver your reports is in PDF format and with this FREE software it installs on your PC and runs like a printer. I have been using this product for about 6-months with both Windows XP and Windows 7 without a glitch.
Even you folks which prepare hand written reports can scan-in the images and convert in a few minutes using a scanner or portable scanner which can be acquired for $50+. Click for a suggested list of scanners.
You can download the FREE PDF writer from HostngByEDS
When to use a HyphenMost of our readers know, we are all about report writing, easily understandable by the reader requires the use of proper grammar. This article features hyphens. Other articles like when to use 7 or seven are located in the members area. You may want to print this cheat-sheet and have on your desk. Hyphens are used to link words and parts of words. They are not as common today as they used to be, but there are three main cases where you should use them:
Hyphens in compound words Stupid Comments Inspectors WriteMost all inspectors write into their reports that the inspection is "visual", "not technically exhaustive", and limited to "direct observations". They also comment, "this is not a code compliance inspection". Yet time after time I read where they contradict themselves in their reports. When an inspector is challenged in a court of law, the first tactic of the opposing attorney is to destroy your credibility. They will hire an expert witness to review your report as to assumptions you made via the comments you wrote and trust me, they do not care if the comment came with the software you are using, you wrote the comment into your report, period! Here are a couple of my favorite Stupid Comments.
More real case examples are located in the members section titled "Stupid Comments 2". Home Buyer ChecklistHome buyers ask, How do I minimize the risk of purchasing a home especially a foreclosure which is listed to be sold "as is"? Just because the listing states "as is" does not mean you can not have the home inspected. Before making the final decision a professional home inspection should be performed but prior to that you should perform your own walk-through inspection. We have prepared a simple 9-page checklist you can use which asks you all the questions you will need to know prior to making your offer. |
Professional Home Inspection Report WritingSo now you have completed the home inspection training course, put your name out to the folks and you are ready to go to work and hopefully make a buck or to. But is your report BULLET PROOF? OK, you did very well on the course and bought yourself some expensive software to use and you are comfortable in the fact that the boiler-plate comments are good enough. But are you willing to bet your house on what some young programmer wrote, after all he gets paid by the line? Read the stupid comments piece, most of which came from boiler-plate text. Inspectors oftentimes attempt to quote one of the building codes and most of the time their comments are in error to an extent. To write a professional good quality home inspection report, you must understand what you are writing about. Do not embellish your writing, do not write content you did not visually observe and please leave the editorial writing to the editorial writers. InspecProWriter is the only dedicated source to correct and "Defensive Report Writing". Our goal is to provide you with the information and understanding to make you a great report writer for a better home inspector. You learn what to write, what not to write and to do this in a complete and concise professional manner. FREE Inspector-WebsitesOur sister company (www.hostingbyeds.com) has now made available FREE lifetime website hosting. A real website which you use your own domain name, not a sub-domain website for your cost of only $14.95/yr. The price includes registering your domain name and hosting for one full year. If you do not have a website you should. Why? A website is an important promotional component of your business. It is not only for sales but most importantly the website establishes and validates your existence to the world. A website is not something you build and forget, it is something which grows over time and develops much as a new baby which you nurture and develop over time into adulthood and beyond. Along with your domain name you get a full featured control panel and a free site-builder with hundreds of templates to choose from (view sample) or you can use your own site-builder. To learn more and get started click the Read more... link below. Describing Shingle Roof CoveringWhat is wrong with this canned description statement? "Asphalt Composition Shingles. These consist of a cellulose mat, asphalt impregnated with colored gravel on the surface." There are two types of asphalt shingles widely-used: organic and fiberglass or glass fiber . Organic (Cellulose) Asphalt shingles are generally ground paper (waste paper) saturated with asphalt to make a waterproof mat, then a top coating of adhesive asphalt is applied and mineral granules are then embedded for decoration and UV protection. Fiberglass asphalt shingles are manufactured similar to organic shingles with the use of fiberglass instead of cellulose creating a reinforcing mat, to which is applied asphalt and mineral granules. They are typically thinner than the Organic shingles. The standard 3-tab Fiberglass Asphalt based shingles used on your home should be compliant with ASTM D-3462 standards, and the 3-tab Organic based shingles used on your home should be compliant with ASTM D-225.asphalt shingles, also known as composite or fiberglass , are made by infusing a paper or fiberglass base with asphalt. Then one side is sprayed with even more granules of a mineral of the desired color. A dependable choice, they are affordable and last 15-20 years. |
